UK TREND : The public reacts to AI replacing human workers

19 May 2023

BT has stated that it will become a “leaner business” as it makes plans to reduce its workforce by up to 55,000 by 2030, or more than 40% of its global employee base, with approximately 10,000 of those positions being replaced by artificial intelligence.

CEO Philip Jansen said, “Whenever you get new technologies, you can get big changes. “Generative AI” tools like ChatGPT, he claimed, “gives us the confidence we can go even further.”

How AI affects the job market in UK?

closeup photo of white robot arm — *The public reacts to AI replacing human workers (unsplash)*

Many people were surprised to learn that replacing human workers has already started, despite the fact that they had anticipated it due to the increased use of artificial intelligence tools. Many people expressed their anxiety and fear on Twitter, especially in light of the current cost-of-living crisis.

BT Group has said it will cut between 40,000 and 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade amid plans to shift to AI and automated services.

The telecoms giant has around 130,000 employees but plans to reduce that number to between 75,000 and 95,000 by the end of the 2020s.

— Moji Sensei Delano (@MojiDelanoBlog) May 18, 2023

Individuals highlighted how this is just one of the issues currently happening as there are more problems ahead with “ water bills going up as well, many families can no longer afford WIFI. Yet Sunak is taking private planes and helping Ukraine while our own citizens continue to suffer”.

Twitter users shared how “ Artificial intelligence replacing loads of jobs, even the quite skilled ones will be off benefit to the shareholders as they will take all the money from this”.

So, #AI will replace loads of jobs, many of them quite skilled. Bosses and shareholders will take all the money from this. Ordinary people must insist on a four day working week, to create more jobs, and universal basic income. #UBI https://t.co/bHomzkFzLB

— Andrew Smith 💫💙 #SaveOurRights #FBPPR 🇺🇦 (@Andrew_F_Smith) May 18, 2023

They also tweeted to clarify that “ it is not AI that is cutting jobs – it is the bosses. It is never the technology that is a threat to workers, it is always those who control it. As it can be used to benefit all people, but the bosses use it to benefit the ruling class”.

People were also wondering, “if big companies such as BT, EE, Amazon, and others replace human workers with Artificial intelligence, robots, or self-driving vehicles then where do they expect human customers to get money to pay for their products or services ?”.